06 September 2023
A new European adventure begins for Juventus Women on Wednesday night, with the Bianconere set to embark on their sixth season of taking part in the UEFA Women's Champions League.
In 2023/24, we start in qualification against Okzhetpes of Kazakhstan. But, to fully prepare ourselves for another season of European football, it's only right to look back at previous continental campaigns.
In or out
In the first three editions of the Champions League that Juventus qualified for, there was a straight shootout for qualification into the last 16. The winner advanced, the loser went home.
Our very first opponents were Brondby, of Denmark. The first game ended 2-2, and Barbara Bonansea then headed in the winner in a 1-0 victory back in Italy.
The next two seasons were anything but kind. In 2019/20 we drew Barcelona, and then Lyon in 2020/21. Draws against the best teams in Europe left us with a mountain to climb.
Against the Catalans we fell 2-0 in the first game and 2-1 in the second, our goal coming from Andrea Staskova.
Facing Lyon, we put up a real fight and our Bianconere showed that they had what was needed to battle in Europe's elite club competition. The first leg ended 3-2 to the French side, and the return fixture saw them emerge as 3-0 winners.
Big games, making history
In the last two seasons, under the guidance of coach Joe Montemurro, Juventus have grown a lot. We enjoyed some great nights at the Allianz Stadium, where it once seemed impossible for our Bianconere to play.
In 2021/22, Juventus stunned Europe by reaching the quarter-finals. It all started in qualification with a 12-0 win over Kamenica Sasa, then a 4-1 victory against St. Polten.
The group stage draw threw up a real challenge. We were paired with Chelsea, Wolfsburg and Servette. The Bianconere, though, managed to make it out of the group alongside the Germans, eliminating the previous seasons's finalists, Chelsea.
Familiar foes were in front of the Bianconere in the quarter-finals, with Lyon awaiting. At the Allianz, again, history was written as Cristiana Girelli and Agnese Bonfantini scored the goals in a 2-1 win. But Lyon came bck and won 3-1 in France, eventually going on to lift the Women's Champions League trophy at the Allianz Stadium in May. That night in Turin, though, allowed Juventus to face European games with newfound confidence.
Now, then, we've made it to last season. Wins in qualification against RFCU Luxembourg and Kiryat Gat saw us advance, before then beating Koge 3-1 on aggregate to make the group stage once more.
There, we were drawn against Arsenal, Zurich, and those familiar foes in Lyon once again. Although the Bianconere managed an impressive nine points, it just wasn't enough to advance - Lyon claimed 11 and Arsenal topped the group on 13.
What we took from that season, though, was an invaluable journey and memories, and again the feeling of having competed at the very highest level. It was another step of growth, and now we are ready for 2023/24.
